Never Very Merry Christmas
by Blonde Cana
Summary: Laxus isn't one for engaging in the holidays, but with a different reason to celebrate, maybe he can at least stop by. (Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters) T rating for mild subject matter and language. Laxana pairing, because what else would I be doing with my time? *Finally completed something!*
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick story for the holiday season! I didn't do anything with my other story, so I figured I'd write another really short one before the time to do so is over. Enjoy! :)

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There was no snow, just sleet, pelting down onto the earth. It covered the roads and homes in a thin layer of ice. Despite the cold and dangerous whether it didn't look like the winter wonderland people had hoped for. It was Christmas eve, but for some people, that didn't mean anything special. Laxus sat in his apartment alone with his thoughts, waiting for this holiday to pass by. He kept his sight on the store front clock outside his living room window. Only had 18 hours till Christmas was officially over. His guildmates knew that he wasn't big on celebrating around this time of year, so they never expected him to come to Fairy Tail's party. He had lightened up in the recent time, but it was still a shaky topic. One person, however, was still determined to try. Bixlow waited in the apartment hall, wondering if he should really be trying to get the Grinch out of his cave. Laxus could smell him but was anticipating for Bix to knock before he told him the door was unlocked. When a few minutes went by of silence before the middle-aged man gave up in frustration.

"Bixlow, I know you're there! Just come in already." Laxus yelled out.  
The odd man scooted in but kept his shoes on.  
"What do you want?" He questioned, a bit offended that it took so long for Bixlow to make a move and he still was keeping his shoes on.  
"Um, you… You want to go say hi to everyone one with me?" Bixlow managed to make an uncomfortable smile.

Laxus stared at him and sighed. "Not really."  
"Okay, just checking. I was heading over, so I'd thought I'd stop by… I got a congratulations gift for Cana. Do you want me to say it's from you too since you aren't going down there?" He held a small wrapped box and gently shook it.  
"You don't have to do that. I… I still have mixed feelings about it."  
"Mixed feelings? It was your idea to let her become S-class. If you didn't say something, she'd be cursing someone out for putting her on the recommendation list. A sixth reentry doesn't make sense, you said so yourself."  
"It doesn't, and she's worked her ass off, but…" Laxus shook his head and rolled his eyes. "What the hell, you can put my name in too if it means so much to you."  
"I don't think she knows you had anything to do with it. I honestly think she wouldn't give a shit, but whatever."

There was an awkward pause between the two.

"Where's Freed and Ever?"  
"Probably getting food ready with the Stratus'… No one else wanted to come with me, so…" Bixlow smiled and let out a short laugh. "Cana said she would come along."

Laxus nodded and started looking out his living room window again.

"I told her you probably didn't want company anyway, but hey, it was worth a shot... I'll just get out of your hair now." Bixlow miserably concluded. He opened the front door back up again.  
"I'll drop by tomorrow, okay? I know that's not what you were hoping for, but it's someth-" Laxus paused and tightened his muscles in a cringe as soon as he felt Bixlow's arms wrapped around him.  
"I know you don't like hugs! I'm sorry! I'm excited!"  
"It's just to say congrats to Cana! Let go before I change my mind."

Bixlow instantly released his hold and ran out the door, slamming it shut. His childish squeals of happiness could be heard through the walls as he rushed down the hall.

The older man took a deep breath and slumped even deeper into his chair. "Why did I do that to myself?" Laxus asked himself in regret of his vague promise. "Maybe if I went around 2, everyone would be passed out except Cana and the waitresses... Yeah, I'll do that." He sighed, closed his eyes and listened. He wondered if anyone else could relate to how he felt. However, with the carolers, bright colored lights and joyful laughter from the floor above, it was hard to imagine that anyone nearby could be hurting like he was.


	2. Chapter 2

The room gradually got colder as the night carried on. Laxus watched the time go by in a mild disgust. No one thankfully bothered him for the remainder of Christmas eve. He stared at the clock as the hours paced by. He was getting better and better at being able to space out for a few hour. His detachment to this day made time go by faster than he could have wished for. When 1:45 rolled by, Laxus decided he would get up and be punctual for his absurdly early arrival time. He put on his coat and decided to walk to the guild, even if hell had frozen over the entire region. He could use the exercise anyway.

The lights struggle up in the town sparkled as Laxus walked by, but he despised them. A part of him wanted to run through the electrical grid and blow out all this nonsense. Another part knew that if he did that, he'd be ruining someone else's holiday. Sure, there was a pleasure in making someone's life as miserable as his, but it wasn't something to be proud of. He knew it wasn't right to shit on anybody's happiness, but the desire to do so still existed.

The middle-aged man slid around on the empty sidewalks. More sleet rained down, making an even thicker layer of ice on the pavement. Laxus never really minded this weather, but it was still nasty to walk in. The closer he got to the guild, the more he appreciated his timing. There wasn't any loud commotion echoing from the guild's direction. At the entrance to fairy Tail, he noticed the huge front doors were wide open, letting in the cold air. With each step, Laxus could better make out that no one was inside. No one was strung along a banister. No broken tables. It was just barren of life. The lights still shimmered, but no one seemed to be home.

"Oh!" A young woman said in surprise. Laxus looked around again and saw Mira with cleaning supplies in her hands. An apron covered her layered, Santa theme dress. "Bixlow mentioned that you might show up, but I assumed he meant in the afternoon, not early morning…"  
Laxus didn't move or change his expression. He just looked around for other people.  
Mirajane went on, knowing that he would just stay silent. "Freed and Bixlow are in the bathroom with Wendy, because someone gave her too much alcohol. For once, it actually wasn't Cana!" The young lady joked. Still no smile from the man she was talking to. "There's vomit here and there, so be careful where you step… If you're here to congratulate her, Cana is most likely at the bar. Wendy had an accident on her front, but she doesn't smell anymore." The young woman shook her head and started walking to the men's bathroom. "Can't say the same for Wendy!"

The absence of passed out bodies was a bit bewildering to Laxus. The woman he was looking for wasn't by the liquor.  
"Hey!" An excited voice called out. Cana was by the guild's Christmas tree, dropping off a few gifts at its stump. She was wearing a holly patterned tank top with black pants. She had a cheap red velvet coat with a white synthetic trim tied around her hips. She ran over to him, skipping over a few puddles of… something. Whatever it was, Laxus could only imagine it being blood, a spill, or the contents of someone's stomach.  
"I thought Bixlow was joking when he said you might show up," Cana admitted. She had a radiant smile, but something about her seemed exhausted. "Well, Gajeel was your secret Santa, but he came in kind of drunk with a stray cat." Cana paused. "We told him to skip it, but for some reason, he thinks you need a cat. I named it Oscar. He's around the tree, but I don't think he can see where he's going…" Cana pondered if someone told Laxus about Oscar, or if he was present for a different reason.

He cleared his throat. "Congrats on your promotion. I thought they'd announce it sooner than they did."

"Thanks. I got the gift… Do you want to sit down for a little bit? We have a ton on pie left." The young woman offered. She still didn't understand exactly why Laxus showed up. If it wasn't the cat, food seemed like a reasonable explanation.

The man stood uncomfortably, confused about what was going on. "Where the hell is everybody?"

Cana chuckled threw her arms up. "Making babies! I have never seen a year without so many people. Except for Freed, Bixlow and Wendy. That'd be kind of messed up."

"Making… Oh!... Everyone left early to screw?"

"To some extent, yeah. It's the first Christmas with someone special for a lot of couples. Elfman and Evergreen didn't even leave. They're in the library. I think Max is in the kitchen with the broom." The young woman focused on seeing if she could still hear anybody.

"What about your dads? Where are those three at?" Laxus asked, not wanting to know what dirty works Ever was up to.

Cana sat down at the nearest bench and massaged the back of her neck. "Wakaba wanted to spend time with his actual daughter and Moaco took Romeo to something festive. Gildarts hasn't shown up… I was kind of hoping he would be done that job by now, but maybe he'll show up tomorrow."

Laxus sat on the opposite side the table. He could tell that Cana was distressed. He didn't want to talk to her, but he didn't have anything better to do. "Did anyone send him a message about your promotion?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if he cares. He already told me before that I'm S-class to him, so…" Cana sighed in frustration. "I don't know…. I worked for so long to prove something that he didn't care about. I told you about all that mess years ago."

Laxus nodded. "I'm sorry about that one year."

"Ahh… It's fine. You were more determined than I was."

Laxus ran his fingers through his fluffy golden hair. "Everyone was expecting me to win. I… My dad had left and I thought it was my fault because I was 'never strong enough. I can't even remember why I wanted him to stay…"

"Everyone has daddy issues. This is kind of a shitty Christmas anyway. You're not missing much…" Cana got back up and waved Laxus to follower her. She went over to the bar, reached down and popped open a new bottle of whiskey. "Do you want a drink? I can get you a glass and ice from outside."

Laxus got back up and faintly grinned. "You haven't had enough?"

Cana stared out into an empty space before responding to him. "I have this heavy feeling on my chest and this bitch isn't hopping off my bust, so yeah. I haven't had enough yet." The smile had slowly faded away and there was an indescribable tiredness in her empty eyes.

Laxus watched her as she started miserably taking drinks straight from the 40oz bottle. With the vomit and empty hall, it was no longer hard to imagine that someone could be having an awful Christmas too. That someone was standing in front of him, downing booze like she was trying to kill herself before sunrise.


	3. Chapter 3

Laxus was starting to get concerned with her consumption. She was on her fifth bottle now. He knew she was a heavy drinker, but she wasn't taking any breaks. The consistent sound of her chugging was starting to piss him off. "Could you chill? You know alcohol doesn't make you warmer. It's the blood rushing to your skin. You have an increased chance of hypothermia, so this isn't the best night to be stress-bingeing on booze!"

Cana stopped and slammed her bottle down. "What did you ask Santa for when you were a kid?"  
Laxus stared at her, very puzzled why she would ask. The young woman patted the counter top beside her, trying to get him to sit and stay. "I… I didn't really believe in Santa." The man finally muttered out, taking a seat.  
"Oh… I'm going to assume your dad crushed that dream?"  
Laxus paused and stared at the floor behind the bar. "Yeah, pretty much."  
"I asked for a dog the last year my mom was alive." Cana shared. The drunk seemed determined to get something out. "The nurse that was taking care of my mother read the letter I wrote. She knew my mom didn't have much time left, and her dog had puppies a few months back, so she gave me one of her pups and said that it was from Santa. It took me a few days," Cana let out a laugh. "to realize that my dog looked exactly like her dogs. I got so mad because I thought Santa stole one of her puppies… My mom told me that everyone has a different Santa and that my Santa was the nurse instead of an old fat white guy." A few tears ran down her face, but the smile stayed. "My mom died a few weeks after new year's day… This is also the first year I've gone without my dog… I don't know why you're not into Christmas, but I think It'd be better if you knew that it's a hard time for me too. Besides everyone has someone to be with, and I'm stuck with the heavy metal version of Scrooge, a drunk child, and a blind cat."  
Laxus nodded and thought carefully on how he should respond to her. "The first year I knew how to write, I wrote a letter to Santa and for some stupid reason, I asked my Dad to send it. You know by now my dad is an ass hole, right?"  
Cana nodded and actively listened to what Laxus was saying. She could sense his agitation revealing it's ugly mug.  
"Well, for Christmas, I asked for a new dad or to at least live with gramps, and my father read it… And he did not take that very well." Laxus sat there, on the stool, staring at the floor silently for a few moments. There was a very concerning smile on his face. His lips were curling in. "For ten years, I didn't keep any gifts anyone gave to me because my father either burned or sold them, right in front of me, to make some sick point." His hands gradually formed into fists, but he still stared at the floor and he kept the sarcastic smile. "I didn't go to any holiday parties. Instead, my dad kept me home and beat the living shit out of me, because that's the kind of prick Ivan is... I don't like Christmas, and I most certainly do not believe in any merciful or glorious god. I think you can imagine why… 'a hard time' is the fucking understatement of the whole damn year. I'm reliving a piece of hell while all the normal people have fun and mock me about not getting out enough, or not joining their festivities." Laxus loosened his body back up with a sigh and threw back a shot Cana's booze and stayed silent. He wondered if he should leave. Before moving he quickly glanced at the young woman sitting next to him. Her mouth was still partially open, like she was going to say something, but was still processing what he had just spat out. "What?" Laxus scornfully asked.  
"I… I mean it makes sense… I have many questions, but," Cana nervously laughed "I don't think you want to talk. Maybe you do. Who knows?"  
"Well...Pick one."  
"Why are you telling this to me? Like I know I'm the only person here and all, but... damn, I don't know. An outburst at gramps would have been more satisfying. I know you're not looking for sympathy unless you are and you're trying to get laid. I'll have to respectfully decline. Um…"  
Laxus leaned up against the bar and pondered how he would answer her question. "I thought you deserved a better understanding of why I don't like Christmas. You opened up to me. Sorry, I thought it would be easier for you to understand than my grandfather."  
Cana sighed and rested her head on the counter. She created a barrier around her face with her naked arms. "I understand perfectly… It just seems odd for you to tell me. Bixlow said that you were the one that got me the promotion and your old man confirmed that… I know you said one question, but am I missing something here?"

The young man shook his head "no", but knew that she wasn't paying attention to his body expression. "You're just an unusually person nice and I have the feeling that you wouldn't use what I just told you against me. I mentioned you automatically getting the promotion because you work your ass off and have a shit ton of integrity and humility."  
"Humility and integrity?"  
"Yeah! You can take a hit and I haven't heard you talk shit to someone and use that in your defense. No one ever hears you brag about all the jobs you take on or all the good reviews you get from our clients."  
Cana looked up at him. She was crying, but not in an ugly way. Her makeup was, however, smeared beyond repair. "No one ever brags about their good comments."  
Laxus let out a sincere laugh. "That's because no one in this forsaken guild ever gets good comments. They don't have comments to brag about!" Laxus chuckled, thinking about how many apology notes his grandfather had written over the years.  
The young woman smiled. "You ever feel like you get something you don't deserve?"  
"Um… more like the other way around, honestly. I guess with the bad stuff, maybe, but that I know I deserve sometimes."  
"Oh… Well, your grumpy ass is my Christmas gift this year."  
"Really? Wouldn't you rather have Wendy puke on you again?"  
"Hell no. You're just such a fucked up person, that you make my shit life seem so much better." Cana tucked her head back into her arms and started hysterically laughing.  
"Thanks, and you're welcome." Laxus said sarcastically. He didn't mind it too much. Cana seemed to be enjoying her holiday a little more, even if it was at another his own expense.  
"Uhhh…" Cana sighed, trying to wipe the eye makeup off her arm. "You want to meet up, well, later today? We could walk around and do stuff, or you could be an uncomfortable mess at your place."  
"Nah. One step at a time."  
"Okay. Well, if that thought changes, I'm here. Maybe we can do something next year."  
Laxus nodded. "Next year might be better. I'm going to head home now, though. I'm just going to sleep through the rest of Christmas or veg out… It's been surprisingly nice talking to you." He got up and straightened out his fur coat. Cana got up too, stretching her arms out.  
"Hug?" She asked, wondering how far he was going to open up.  
Laxus hesitated, but at least he didn't leave. "Um…"  
"You do know how to give hugs, right?"  
"Yeah, I just don't… usually…" Laxus stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, cuddling the top of her head with the left side of his face. Her hair was soft and soothing.  
To Cana's surprise, he was warm and gentle. She snuggled back into him, never wanting for him to let go.  
Laxus started leaning more on her. She started to sit down on the stool, but his weight slowly dragged her to the floor. They both sat on the cold ground, in each other's embrace. As weird as this seemed to the both of them, it was not awkward, but peaceful and comforting. Laxus held her a little tighter, rubbing her soft bare skin.

There was no snow, just sleet, pelting down onto the earth. It covered the roads and homes in a now thick layer of ice. Despite the cold and dangerous whether it didn't look like the winter wonderland people had hoped for. It was Christmas, but for some people, that didn't mean anything special. Laxus sat on the guild floor, wondering if maybe it could finally be something better than what it had been in the past. No God or Santa had been this loving in a long time. As long as Cana was in his arms, it was more warm and comforting than he could have asked for.


End file.
